‘Head Carrier’ review: Pixies revive their own sound
!["Head Carrier" is the Pixies' latest.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.newsday.com%2Fimage-service%2Fversion%2Fc%3AOTRlZmE0ZjAtZmJhZC00%3AZjAtZmJhZC00ZjI1OGNh%2Fetsecs0930_web.jpg%3Ff%3DLandscape%2B16%253A9%26w%3D770%26q%3D1&w=1920&q=80)
"Head Carrier" is the Pixies' latest. Credit: Pixiesmusic / PIAS Records
PIXIES
“Head Carrier”
THE GRADE B+
BOTTOM LINE The indie-rock pioneers move forward while still looking back.
When you have a sound as distinctive and well-known as the Pixies do, fans aren’t really going to embrace a drastic change, like when bassist-singer Kim Deal left the band in 2013 before its album “Indie Cindy.”
On the band’s new album “Head Carrier” (Pixiesmusic/PIAS), the Pixies return to the sounds of their heyday, with new bassist-singer Paz Lenchantin, of A Perfect Circle and Zwan fame, stepping into Deal’s very big shoes.
Her standout moment comes in “All I Think About Now,” where she takes the lead on what sounds like singer Black Francis’ apology to Deal. “If I could go to the beginning, I would be another way, make it better for today,” Lenchantin sings over Joey Santiago’s grungy guitar riffs. “Remember when we were happy? If I’m late, can I thank you now?”
The rest of “Head Carrier” bounces between the sleek, catchy indie-pop of “Classic Masher” and “Oona,” with their roots in Pixies classics like “Here Comes Your Man,” and Francis’ yowling over harder-hitting rock in “Baal’s Back” and “Um Chagga Lagga,” where their influence on Nirvana can be seen.
Most Popular
Top Stories
![](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.newsday.com%2Fimage-service%2Fversion%2Fc%3AODQ0ODE0NGYtYjI0NC00%3AOGUwZDk3ZjgtOGQyZC00%2Fetwabc220907_photos.jpg%3Ff%3DLandscape%2B16%253A9%26w%3D770%26q%3D1&w=1920&q=80)
![](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.newsday.com%2Fimage-service%2Fversion%2Fc%3AMGEwOGMzYTQtZGVjMi00%3AODhjNGIzMGQtODJhMi00%2Fethamp240830_photos.jpg%3Ff%3DLandscape%2B16%253A9%26w%3D770%26q%3D1&w=1920&q=80)
![](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.newsday.com%2Fimage-service%2Fversion%2Fc%3AOTkwYzc2YjUtZmRiNC00%3AOGQ4OWI1YWEtYTFmYi00%2Fetclose.jpg%3Ff%3DLandscape%2B16%253A9%26w%3D770%26q%3D1&w=1920&q=80)
![](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.newsday.com%2Fimage-service%2Fversion%2Fc%3AYzA2ZmYyYTUtOWQ3YS00%3AMWYxNTM0NGUtM2ViOC00%2Fetmovie240901_photos.jpeg%3Ff%3DLandscape%2B16%253A9%26w%3D770%26q%3D1&w=1920&q=80)